North Georgia Deaconesses Among Those Consecrated in UMW Assembly Closing Worship

4/27/2014

Twenty-six women from 18 conferences including North Georgia's Idelia N. Ulmer, environment health specialist at Seeds of Hope, Henry County Environmental Health Services, in McDonough, were consecrated as United Methodist deaconesses during the closing plenary worship of United Methodist Women’s 19th quadrennial Assembly in Louisville, Ky., April 25-27. More than 6,000 people witnessed the consecration that culminated a conference that included workshops, a living wage protest and a Saturday address by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a lifelong United Methodist.

Deaconesses are called by God to lay vocations of love, justice and service in a lifetime relationship in The United Methodist Church. Their work alleviates suffering; eradicates causes of injustice and all that robs life of dignity and worth; facilitates the development of full human potential; and shares in building global community through the church universal.

United Methodist Women is a nearly 800,000-member laywomen’s mission organization that raises more than $13 million annually for mission with women, children, youth and disenfranchised communities in the United States and around the world.